A New Life
by Tony18
Summary: They'd talked about him for months, but now he was real – he had a baby brother.


He'd been waiting for hours now. They kept saying his Mom was okay, but that she needed to rest for a while before he could go in to see her. His Aunt had sat with him for a longtime, but a little while ago she'd gone in to talk with his Mom and Dad. So for the moment one of the nurses was with Tadashi, watching him while he swung his legs back and forth as he stared down the hall.

His Dad had rushed his Mom to the hospital after he'd dropped him off at school. He hadn't known what was going on until his Aunt picked him up and told him his baby brother was on the way. He'd been angry, but now … what if something had happened to Mom?

Or to his new brother? It felt weird, thinking of him as something, well, real. He'd had his Mom and Dad to himself all of his life; and now, he'd be sharing them with someone else. He'd had months to get used to the idea, but now it was actually happening.

"Mr. Hamada," and he turned towards the nurse. "I was helping your Mom today. Everything was going perfectly." He looked down at his feet and kicked at the floor. He just kept thinking of all the bad things that could have happened.

Did his brother hurt his mother? Was his brother sick? When were they gonna be able to come home? Was his brother... he shook his head; he didn't know what he was afraid of.

So he thought of home. It wouldn't just be his anymore. Someone else would be there, getting attention from his Mom and Dad. He didn't like it.

He hadn't wanted a brother. Everything was fine the way it was. He didn't want to share what he had. But then they let him put his ear against her stomach and listen to his brother kick, and he'd started to get excited.

But something could still go wrong. What if he was holding his brother and dropped him? What if other kids were mean to his brother? What if he couldn't do anything fun?  
He'd always tried to be a good kid. But now, everything he did would leave an impression. He had to be role-model all the time. He didn't know if he was going to like that.

He furrowed his brow, and the nurse put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything is fine, I promise."

"But it's been so long," Tadashi muttered, straining in his seat as he looked down the hall. "What if something's wrong with my mom?" He knew the nurse wouldn't have told him the truth if something was. Grownups always did stuff like that. So he just kept hoping.

His Aunt walked out of his Mom's room before the nurse could answer, and he sprinted down the hall. He nearly tripped on an untied shoelace, but managed to skid to a halt in front of her. "Is Mom okay? Is… is he…?"

"Yeah, little guy, she's just fine," Aunt Cass said. "And your brother is too. Your parents really want to see you."

His Mom was lying in bed, and his Dad was right next to her. His parents looked over and smiled, and Tadashi walked forward. Even their loving looks didn't make him feel better.

"Are you okay Mom?" he asked hesitantly. He felt scared, but didn't exactly know why. Wait, where was he? "Where's Hiro?"

"He's just getting cleaned up, sweetheart," she said gently, noting his worry. "And I'm fine." She had big bags under her eyes, and her hair was all messed up. "I could use a shower."

"You look great," his Dad said.

"Oh please," she said as she laughed, "I look like total crap." Now his Dad laughed as he leaned in.

"You have never been more beautiful than you are right now," he said, and Tadashi blushed as he kissed her. Were they really gonna do the mushy stuff now? Aunt Cass fought back a laugh when she saw her nephew's cheeks redden. But then the door swung open, a young nurse walked in with a small bundle of blankets in his arms, and everyone's eyes were glued.

"Tadashi," his Mom said as she took the bundle, "meet your brother, Hiro." He crept forward, peering over the edge of the bed.  
He'd seen babies plenty of times before. But Hiro was just so… tiny, and strange. His arms and legs were curled up tight against his body, and his skin was this strange reddish-purplish color. He only had a few tiny brown hairs on top of his head, and his nose was a little flat and strange-looking.

He wanted to touch him, but he looked so delicate, like a gust of wind would blow him away. If he hugged him too hard he might break him, and Mom and Dad would be really angry. He didn't want to risk it. But then Hiro let out a burp and opened his eyes.

The baby looked around, calming as he saw his… their Mom looking down at him. She gently tickled a finger under his chin, and he cozied in against her. But then he saw Tadashi; he made a noise and his eyes widened. He blinked, and tried to move his head towards him; but it was a bit too much, and he snuggled back against their Mom.

"Hiro, this is Tadashi, your brother," his… their Mom said gently, holding him out. Tadashi leaned in, and now his eyes went wide. He slowly reached out a hand, holding out his little finger towards his brother. Hiro stared at it, and Tadashi moved it closer.

Tadashi brushed his pinky against Hiro's cheek, which earned him a little coo. Tadashi started to smile, which made Hiro coo again. "Can I hold him?" He wanted to more than he'd ever wanted anything before. His parents smiled at each other.  
"Yes, but, sit down first," their Dad said kindly, and Tadashi hopped into a chair, nodding intently. Their Aunt took Hiro from their Mom and gently set the infant in Tadashi's waiting arms. Hiro shifted his head around, and let out a little noise as his brother took hold of him.  
"Hey," Tadashi said, very, _very_ careful as he lifted his brother up, "I… I'm your brother!" He couldn't think of anything else to say, but Hiro seemed to like it. He let out a little murmur, and Tadashi's laugh made him do it again. Their faces were only inches apart, and he stared into Hiro's dark brown eyes. His brother made a sound, and lifted his hand. Tadashi helped him, and felt the tiny, delicate fingers brush against the skin of his face.

All those doubts, about being a big brother, about his parents loving someone else, were fading away. He would be there for this little guy. After all, this was his baby, his brother.

"I promise," he said, "I'll let you play with my robots. You can sleep in my bed if you get scared." He gently rubbed a thumb across Hiro's cheek, and the newborn made a happy gurgling noise. "I love you Hiro!" He nuzzled his little brother gently, and it wasn't until he very slowly pulled back that he saw something amazing.  
Hiro was smiling at him; he had to be. "That shouldn't happen for weeks," their Aunt whispered in astonishment. But it sure looked like a smile, and Tadashi smiled back.  
And Hiro decided he liked that smile. The look on this Big Person's face made him feel good, and he felt safe when he held him. He was warm, and comfy, and those noises he made were nice. He wanted to keep touching him.

Tadashi started to feel something tug on his nose, and it took him a moment to realize what it was: Hiro was holding on. Their parents and aunt laughed at Tadashi's surprised look, but the noise startled Hiro. He began huffing like he might cry, but Tadashi started rocking him back and forth. Soon, his baby brother was murmuring happily, and Aunt Cass had a camera out.

"This seems like the right time," she said, holding it up. Her nephews' parents were smiling proudly, but Tadashi's had theirs beat by a mile. She clicked the button, and captured the image of the new family. Tadashi rested Hiro in his lap, and as Hiro fell back asleep Tadashi held on tight – he was never going to let go.

* * *

"Anata." His wife's voice made him turn to look at her, and she gave him a loving but exhausted look. "Thank you."

"You're the one who carried them, and brought them into this world," he said, taking her hand, "I should be thanking you." He'd been looking at his sons, who were laying together on the couch.

"Well, I'd say I had some help getting it all started," she said, laughing as her husband smiled. She turned towards her boys, and her smile grew. "They're beautiful." Tadashi had nearly thrown a tantrum when his Dad had said he had to go home with his aunt, but Cass convinced them that it would be better for him to stay with them tonight. Tadashi had been laying back on the couch holding Hiro when they both fell asleep, and their Dad had draped a blanket over them as he made sure that Hiro was safe.

"They are beautiful," he told her as he rubbed her hand. Hiro was happily nestled in Tadashi's arms, and even in his sleep Tadashi had a look of pride on his face. "They're the best of us." Hiro had started sucking on his thumb, and Tadashi had his arms around him protectively.

"No doubt," she said happily. "They're going to do something amazing, I know it." He nodded, and the two watched their children. Their boys had only known each other for a few hours, but they could see a bond forming between them. And deep in their hearts was the hope that it would last a lifetime.


End file.
